


LIS ficlets

by azalianblue



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: (kinda), Angst, Best Friends, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Headcanons as Canon, Implied Relationships, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, Missing Persons, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Running Away, Songfic, Suicidal Thoughts, Tags May Change, headcanons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:33:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21975139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/azalianblue/pseuds/azalianblue
Summary: Sometimes I get struck with inspiration, and I just HAVE to let it out. This is a collection of all my little Life is Strange ficlets, codas, one-shots, and headcanons.
Relationships: Rachel Amber/Chloe Price
Kudos: 1





	1. Gender and sexuality stuff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> an unnecessary description of my personal headcanons surrounding some of the characters genders and sexualities. you can skip this part, it won't hurt my feelings ♡

Chloe Price: nonbinary butch lesbian

I see Chloe as nonbinary bc I think she has a complicated relationship with gender, as many butches do. I headcanon that she feels partially like a woman, and partially like some masculine gender she can't quite label. She feels these statically, and they're intrinsically tied to each other.

I headcanon her as butch bc in BTS she is VERY much a baby punk butch, just starting to grow into her own. BTS fucked up a lot of things, but they nailed Chloe's style.

I headcanon her as a lesbian bc everything about her screams lesbian to me.

Yes, I remember the condoms in her wallet. Chloe Price is a gentlebutch, and always brings her own protection.

Yes, I remember her relationship with Eliot, the one that screamed heteronormativity.

Yes, I remember Joyce's comments on her "bad boy" phase. Chloe is a known drug user, and canonically friends with the stoners in Blackwell. The "bad boys" Joyce saw her with were her weed dealers.

Yes, I remember her commenting on how hot Mark Jeffershit was. She was clearly teasing Max, and acknowledgment of pleasing aesthetics does not equal attraction.

And yes, I remember her VA describing her as "sexually fluid." I don't believe her for a single second, in fact I think she was lying to appease the straights.

* * *

Max Caulfield: bigender trans woman, demiromantic futch lesbian

I headcanon Max as bigender bc of the way she switches her language around when referring to herself. Drama king and queen, anyone? Calling her nightmare self a son of a bitch? Am I reading into it? Almost definitely, but I'm having fun so who cares.

I headcanon her as a trans woman, bc Max is a trans name. But seriously, bc it makes her "not like other girls" thing way better. She doesn't wear a lot of makeup bc she's still lowkey bad at it, and she doesn't want to look like a "total loser." Her style is undefined and basic bc she's still figuring out what girl mode means to her. She's more comfortable behind the camera bc she's still self-conscious about passing, and feels like she looks better when she can pose and frame herself.

AND THAT'S ANOTHER THING. A lot of her anxiety can _easily_ align with trans anxieties and gender dysphoria. Self-image issues? Trans. Simultaneous distaste and hunger for attention? Trans. Issues with her self-worth? Trans. Desire to be "just a normal girl"? Trans. Falling in love with her best friend? Trans as _fuck_.

I headcanon her as demiromantic bc she literally says she's never been interested in someone like that. Sure it could just be that she's a late bloomer, only just coming into her own, but! I'm the headcanon-er here, and as a known aspec who headcanons for fun, I say she's demiromantic.

I headcanon her as futch bc a girl looks damn good in a short-sleeved button-up and cuffed jeans. Not to mention the formal wear. Sleek suit? Little black dress? She rocks it all, no problem.

I headcanon her as a lesbian bc her interest in boys is almost passive. Even when she comments about liking skater boys, her interest kind of... trails off? Idk, it doesn't feel genuine to me. And if you don't make her talk to everyone, the only boys she talks to are Nathan and Warren. An antagonist, and a boy who is wayyy more interested in her than she is in him.

Not to mention that in the nightmare sequence literally all the men she knows are hunting her down, bringing to light her subconscious fear of being assaulted, r*ped, and/or killed by them. The only part of the nightmare where Chloe plays an actively bad role? When nightmare!Chloe is verbally abusing her with all the things she's scared of, while flirting with Max's tormentors. Yes, I'm including Warren in that category.

I used to headcanon her as bisexual, specifically because of the "romance with Warren" route, but honestly that storyline- well, you can't even really call it a storyline. it's more like a last minute alternative bc the devs figured an indie game about lesbians wouldn't sell well. Romance/relationship with Chloe? Unerasable. Intrinsically tied into every bit of the game. Romance/relationship with Warren? Easily skippable. They almost encourage you to ignore him.

Max Caulfield being a trans aspec lesbian plays _so well_ into the story's themes of growing up and finding yourself, regardless of what those around you think you should do.

* * *

Rachel Amber: femme bisexual

I headcanon Rachel as bisexual for obvious reasons. She loved Chloe, and she loved Frank too. I adamantly believe, however, that whatever the nature of her relationship with Jeffershit, she was purely using him for his camera, his connections, and his money. She never loved him.

And I see her as femme for obvious reasons, again. She's not a girly-girl, but she's definitely feminine, and her grunge-punky tastes balance her presentation in a nicely grey area that almost tempts me to call her futch. Almost. My metric for assigning butch/futch/femme is "Do I imagine this person being more comfortable going to a formal event in a suit, or a dress?" Chloe Price: suit. Max Caulfield: either. Rachel Amber: dress.

* * *

Kate Marsh: asexual femme lesbian

Kate is a bit of a tricky one, since she's a side character, but I love her so much I have to include her. 

I headcanon her as asexual bc I (a known aspec) relate to her discomfort with sex, especially with people she doesn't know. Maybe in a more open environment and a healthy relationship, she'd be more open to talking about that kinda stuff, and maybe participating, but I don't imagine she has a high sex drive.

I figure her asexuality may play into her abstinence club too! Like, maybe she started the club bc abstinence felt so easy and obvious to her, and she wanted to find friends who felt the same way.

And no, I'm not headcanon-ing her as asexual to fit in with the "perfect angel" infantilization of her character a lot of the rest of the fandom is intent on doing.

I headcanon her as a lesbian bc she never once shows any interest in a boy. In fact, the only men she talks to are David and Jeffershit, two men who _abused_ her. 

... tbh, I just love the thought of her coming out, and her dad and sisters are so supportive, but that's the last straw for her mom. I don't fuckin like her mom. Or her aunt. So if she comes out and that gets rid of them, that's a win in my book.

And I see her as femme bc, obviously, she's pretty feminine, and I think she'd be comfortable with that label. Imagine Kate in a floral print blouse and a flirty skirt??? Cute as fuck!!

* * *

Victoria Chase: lesbian

Side character again, but she shows so much goddamn potential for growth and I love that so much, I have to include her.

I headcanon Victoria as a lesbian bc everything about her is a carefully crafted persona. We know she's a closet weeb, so who's to say what else she's keeping closeted. I can absolutely see her staying closeted in fear of being rejected from the career she's been working toward, and possibly rejected from her family too.

Yes, I know she pursues Jeffershit. She never shows any feelings for him, and during our conversation with her at the End Of The World party, she makes it clear the only reason she does such shady shit is bc she thinks that's how the art world works. 

Besides that time she fucked with Juliet's boyfriend (as a calculated method of revenge against Juliet for writing and publishing a bad view of the Vortex Club), does she ever show any interest in a guy? No. She's much more interested and involved with her relationships with girls. Even her relationship with Nathan is stated to be purely platonic, and almost sibling-like.

Since so much of her character is a persona, a mask, I really couldn't say if she fits into the label futch or femme. I can imagine her either way, tbh, and she would slay both.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you read all of that, you get a gold star and a cookie! seriously, go find a cookie and chow down. 
> 
> also! drop your headcanons in the comments! i LOVE hearing other perspectives, and i wanna hear yours!


	2. a better Before The Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> so... BTS pissed me off. so many inconsistencies, and the story was weird, and it didn't focus on chloe and rachel's relationship as much as i wanted.
> 
> so i wrote this in a fit of frustration as a kind of summary of what i'd been hoping to get out of BTS.

Chloe and Rachel are 14, and they meet at the lighthouse. Chloe's staring out over the ocean, wondering what the crashing waves would do to her body. Wondering if it would hurt less than her loneliness. Rachel, a tiny thing in jean shorts, screams "STOP" when Chloe steps forward. She jerks back, suddenly terrified as she lands on her ass, scrambling to get away from the edge. Rachel, a stranger, holds her tight in her skinny arms. Chloe breaks down, sobbing and screaming and tearing at Rachel's back with desperate hands, begging to be held tighter. Rachel complies.

Chloe and Rachel are 15, and they have a secret hideout. Chloe found the junkyard, but Rachel found the cinder block hut. They skipped school to fix it up, using the coolest junk they could find and a few key pieces from home. A saggy couch they packed with newspaper and decorated with throw pillows from Rachel's room. A tiny coffee table they splattered paint on. Chloe's dad's old dartboard she found in the garage. One day Rachel brings a bracelet kit and they spend an hour making each other friendship bracelets. They forget to put them on before tying them closed and they scream with laughter.

Chloe and Rachel are 16, and totally sick of Arcadia Bay. David is officially Chloe's step-douche, Rachel's parents have gone on yet another vacation without her, and neither of them feel any reason to stick around. They pack their bags, hop on a moving train, and ride it until they're hungry. They jump off in a city about forty miles South, get grub from a vendor, and end up sleeping under an overpass. The cops catch them around 5am and drag them to the precinct to call their parents. Needless to say, Joyce is furious. Chloe gets grounded for four months. Rachel doesn't talk about how her parents punished her, but for a long time after, sudden movements made her flinch.

Chloe and Rachel are 17, and Rachel has new friends. She was always good at getting people to like her, but these people are different. All designer clothes, plastic smiles, gold Rolex watches, and connections to the real world that no one else had. Connections that Rachel needed, if she wanted to fulfill her dreams. Chloe tries to keep Rachel away from them, but Rachel was always a little too determined. Chloe worries about how easily Rachel fades into them, as if she had never been anywhere else. Rachel tells her not to be stupid. She's never leaving Chloe.

Chloe and Rachel are 18, and Rachel is acting weird. distant. when Chloe asks if she's okay, Rachel just smiles. She says she's met someone. Someone who changed her life. Chloe is terrified of what that means. 

Chloe is 19, hanging missing persons posters, praying to a God she doesn't believe in that Rachel's okay.


	3. Headcanon 1

When Rachel gets bored, she paints her nails. All of them, fingers and toes. When she runs out of nails to paint, she begs Chloe to let her paint her nails. At first Chloe would only let Rachel paint her toenails, and she was only allowed to paint them black. Then Rachel sneaked some polish with glitter, and Chloe actually really liked it, so then she let Rachel pick the colors. Rachel painted her in all colors of the rainbow, from harlot red to a weird brown-purple color Rachel found on her mom's dresser. Just when she had finally run out of colors to try on Chloe, Rachel found a pretty sky blue polish. Chloe thinks it's okay, but Rachel adores it, especially on Chloe. She does love Chloe in blue.

And in Life is Strange, Chloe misses Rachel. Misses her so fucking much. She needs Rachel next to her, needs just to hold her hand again. So she starts painting her own nails, in Rachel's favorite color. Reminds herself of how delicately Rachel would blow on the wet nail polish, and how warm her hands were, and how intense her pretty face looked as she focused on spreading the polish evenly. Chloe's own work is nowhere near that pretty. She uses too much polish too fast, globbing it on and giving it barely two minutes to dry. Her nails end up dented and printed and chipped and it makes her miss Rachel all the more. But she keeps painting her nails, 'cause Rachel always loved her in blue.


End file.
